Spike.



H. 0. PPPPP N.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIII Novv. ire, 191x.l 1,674,409. Patented sept.3o,1913..

immuun-mini;

lUnrrnn PATENT ccierren.

HERBERT osnoiir Carrear, or NEW Yoan. n.. Y.

. ernia.

c Specification f Letters Patent Patented Sept. 30. 1913. Applicationtiled November 16, 1912. ySerial No. 731,692.

vTo all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HERBERT O. CRIPPEN, a citizen ofthe United States,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have inventeda new and Improved Spike, ofwhich the following is al full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates generally to spikes, and is particularly directedto improvements in the subjectmatter described in -,Letters Patent No.963,280 l,issued to me "July 5, 1910, and in a pending application,

Serial No. 681,262 tiled March 2, 1912;

The objects of this invention contemplate improvements in railroadspikes of the kind above identiied, and more particularly the objects ofthe invention maybe stated as follows To position V the fulcrum of thetoothed plates at'the sides of the spike to one side of the longitudinalcenter thereotI in order to provi-de for a greater relative movement ofthe plates, thereby tending to more effective securing of the spikewithin the ties and also in order to prevent the locking plates, whichare detachable, trom being assembled on the spike except. with the teethor serra-tions of the plates pointing always in one direction; toprovide an improved forml o tooth on the movable plates whereby thepassage of 'the spike into the tie is facilitated, the teeth on theplates being staggered, thereby insuring greater holding power due tothe fact that different fibersof the wood are engaged by the severalteeth; and, more specifically, to provide an improved form of `mountingfor each plate'sothat .as the spike is being driven the plate will beheldv in operative relation with the spike, being prevented fromseparation due to the reaction.

The particular structure and its modification herein illustrated anddescribed set forth one manner of obtaining the above purposes, it beingclear, however, that vari- `ous uchanges may be made in such structureswithout-departing from the inventivey idea'. disclosed. 4

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis speci-4 iication, in which like characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts inall the views, and in which- Figure ll is a sideview of thespike, with the plate carried thereby; Fig.g2 is aperspective view of the spike, with the plates in the positionlthey liewhen driven into spike, showing the structure adjacent the lower end formounting the plate: Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the tie and a portionof the rail, showing the spike and the plate in operative relationthereto, the particular form of the teeth being exemplified; Fig. 5 isa'sectional view on tlieline 5-5 of Fig. l; while Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a modified manner of mounting the plate.

The spike comprises a body member 1 and plates 2 iiiovably mounted onthe opposite sides thereof; while the spike discloses two plates itis,of course. clear that one plate may be used with the identical bodyineinber, if so desired.

The body member is preferably ot' integral construction, having thedriving end 3 enlarged to form a head. the driven end being tapered inorder to form an entering wedge si, the particular dimensions of tbeends being'of little consequence. On opposite sides of the body member,and adjacent the driven'end, are curved pockets 5..tbe depths of whichare equal to the thickness of the plates 2; referring/particularly toFig. 3 it will be noted that the pocket 5 is provided in what mav betermed a shoulder 6 having converging end, portions or surfaces 7a*7b,the fcirmer of which being longer than the latter. f

Each plate 2 is substantially flat and of a length sutiicient to reachfrom the pocket 5 to a point adjacent the head 3. one edge portion ofthe plate being provided with a number of teeth or spurs 8; as shownpar` ticularly in Fig. 2, in the event that the plates are held atopposite sides of'the bodv member 1 the teeth on one plate will lieintermediate the teeth on the other plate, thereby providing astaggered. relation. The upper end of each plate is provided with anoiisetportion 9 adapted for engage- 'inent with the edge of the lower{iange` 10 of the rail 1l. so that as the spikeis driven into the tie 12the engagement of this said portion 9 of the plate will bring it intothe position shown particularly in Fig. 4. The lower end 'of the plateis provided with an extension 13, substantially` although notessentially, circular, the extension lying ad i jacent the lower endsof' the tapering side portions 14g-14b of the plate; this exten- -sionis substantially, of less extent than the pocket 5, so that freemovement of the plate relatively to the body member 1 is permitted, itrbeing noted, however, that the ydistance. between the lowerends of thetapering edge portions 7**-7h of the shoulder- 6 on thebody member 1 issubstantially lessthan the width of this extension, so that once theextension is positioned within the pocket it cannot be removed therefromby an upward longitudinal movement of the plate, which movementI isbroughtv about when the spike is being driven into the tie.

" t lThe particular arrangement of the converging edge portions 7 L- bon the shoulder 6 insures the proper positioning of the plate 2'adjacent the side of the body member 1, so that the serratededge of theplat-e will always bear the relation to the head of the body member asshown; as shown particularly in Fig. 1, one edge portion of the plate'14a'tapers similarly to the edge portion 7 of the shoulder 6, so thatthe engagement` between these.taperingportions provides for the properposition of the plate adjacent the side of the body member jivhen thespike is being driven; that is, the 'engagement of the material of thetie with the serrated edgeof the plate is prevented from moi/ing theplate due to such' engagement. It will be noted that-the center ofgravity of the plate 2 is at such side of a vertical line passing.

through the pivotal center between the body member 1 of the spike andplate 2, as to maintain. the edge 111a of the plate against the shoulder6 of the body member 1 when the spike is in upright posit-ion, as 4shownin Fig. 1. Apart, however, from this particular manner of mounting ythelower end of the plate is the idea of providing the pocket.,

tween' thc locking plate 2 and the spike is that. the plate cannot beplaced on the spike in any except the proper position with the teetlilthereof pointing'always in one direc' :f-'t'ion or oppositely from thedirection lin *which the head of the spike points. departure from whatis shown in the Letters bersandthespurs. finay be availed of in order tobring about This Patent andthe co-pending application hereiinbeforereferred'to, sets forth a ,structure possessing marked advantages.because ofthe greater degree of engagement between the 'Variousconstructions lthisreccentrie mounting of the lower end of the plateapart from `what is shown in ,Figs 1 and 4, and in Fig. 6 onemodification is @sliowmj In this instance the pocket 5v is omit#v ,y 0 Il 1, coming into the relation shown yinHFig. 1,

.the shoulder 6' on the bodyinember 1 'may .the toot-li permitting ofcertain desirable -functions. The side edge 16? of each tooth 8 is acompound curve., the curvature at the tip lbbeingconvex, and the topedgeof each tooth is concave and merges smoothly into the side edge ofthetooth next above. The top and side edges of each tooth form a sharphook-shaped point vwhich' bites deeply into the fiber ofl the .tie whenthe locking plate is forced laterally, as in Fig. 4, it being notedparticularly that this relation of the curved edge portionsl MSL-16b provides for slipping of the 4toot-h acrossthe fibers of the tie as thespike is beingdriven, in counter-distinction to tearing orr'upturing ofthese fibers; this slippage, then,l permits the easy entrance oftheteeth into the wood, forcing the fibers thereof to one side sothat afterany tooth or spur'has passed certain particular fibers they will vtendto assume their formery position in the path of the tooth, but above it,vthereby insuring a firm positioning of the teeth within the wood.

Referring again to themanner ofmounting the lower end of thev plate 2 onthe body portion 1, itl will be noted that in Fig. 6 a shoulder 17 isprovided beneath. the head .3, which shoulder prevents. upward movementof the plate relativelyto the body member as the spike is beingdriven,the structure shown inl Figs.,1 andli, howeif'en-ldoing away withthenecessity of such shoulder because ofthe locked relation of theextension 13 at the lower end of the plate in the pocket- 5. As far asthe engagement of the spurs in the tie is `concerned either form of.mounting means for the plate may be availedof, and

spikes embodying these different fea-tures be'withdrawn with equalfacility. In

this connection it may be noted that the upper provides a portion 18which, when'tlie spike is in driven relation asfshown in Fig. Lhpermitsthe plate -t'o be moved.` relatively f to the body member' byengagementofthe crowbar i with theV said portion 18 as .tliefhends of,lthe I spike the opposite movements of.,.,-the. .parts is, as the head(nioves are gone through, lthat i certains-distance the upwardly'through a Vend of theplate 2 adjacent the toothed edge i.

plate 2 moves relatively to theibQdy member with' the teeth out lofengagement with the vfibers, the aforesaid upper portion 18 proriding:tor such operation.

The spike described is of simple structure, the plates being easily madeand not pre- "senting difliculty in' thestamping operation,

the. spike asl awhole /tending to a structure which will moreefliciently retain its position within the tie and prevent spreading oftherail. j v

Having thus described my invention,

what I cla-ini as new and desire to secure the side of the body memberbeing provided with a shoulder forming a support, the'end of the platebeing provided with a ortion engaging the said support and abou whichthe plate may be moved, the said point of support lying to one side ofthe central axis of the body member. Y'

3. A spike comprising a body member, and a plate movably carried therebyandto one\side thereof, the side of the Abody meinber being providedwith a pocket, the end of the plate being provided with an eXtensionengaging in the pocket, the said pocket and extension normally'lying toone side gf the longitudinal aXis of the body mem- 4. A spike comprisinga body'member,

and a plate movably associated therewith,

one side of the spike being provided with a pocket, the` end of theplate being provided with an extension engaging in the said pocket, theentrance to the pocket vadjacent the side of the body member being oflesser dimension than the width of the said exi tension, whereby theextension is prevented from withdrawal from the pocket by a longitudinalmovement.

5. A spike comprising a body member,-

and a. plate movably associated therewith, one side of the body memberbeing pro- -vided with a shoulder, the upperportion of which is providedwith downwardly converging edge portions, and a pocket in the shoulderand below the said convergingedge portions. the plate being providedwith an extensionadjacent its lower end fitting in the said pocket.- theextension being incapable' ot' withdrawal from the pocket by alongitudinal movement of the plate.

6. A spike. comprising a body member provided adjacent its point with ashoulder, and a plate pivotally connected with the body adjacent theshoulder and having its center oiigravity so positioned as to maintainthe plate in engagement with the shoulder when the spike is upright.said plate having means adapted to be projected laterally' from thespike as the latter is driven home.

7. A spike comprising a body member, a shoulder thereon, and a platepivoted on the body member adjacent the shoulder and `arranged with itscentr-..;,of gravity so l0- cated as to maintain thelplate in engage-Vment with theshonlder, the edge of the plate at its free end ,normallyprojecting beyond. the body member and the other beyond the body memberwhen the first edge is moved inwardly` as the spike is driven home. l 8.A spike comprising a body member, a

shoulder adjacent the Adriven end, a pocket in the shoulder, the edgeortions of lthe edge of the plate being adapted to project' shoulderadjacent the' poc ret converging 85 downwardly, a serratedplate Vassociated with the body member and y'provided 'with an extensionventering the said pocket, one edge portion of the plate adjacent theextion of' t-he shoulder adjacent the pocket, whereby the engagement ofthe said tapered portions will maintain theplate and the bodyy member indriving relation.

' tension tapering similarly to one edge por; 90

"9. A spike comprising a body member adapted to bedriven into a tie anda plate lying adjacent one side of the body member and serrated alongthe longitudinal edge, the point of pivtal relation of the body memberand the plate being to one side of the longitudinal central axis of thebody member, and engaging portions` on the body member and the plate,whereby the parts may be maintained in proper relation as the spike isbeing driven.

10. A spike comprising a body member and a detachable toothed lockingplate carried by the body member and having a pivotal point ofengagement therewith, the

member and plate having coperating parts wherebythe plate canv be placedon the, body in only one position.

ill A spike comprising a body member having adjacent its point ashoulder formed with oppositely-inclined surfaces and a locking memberpivoted at the shoulder and having .edges cooperating with the saidsurfaces of the shoulder, whereby the locking plate can be mounted. onthe body member in only one position, said loc-king plate having meansfor engaging the fiber of the body into which the spike is driven.-

12. A spike comprising a body member, aL locking plate movably mountedon the side of the member, and teeth on the plate each formed with acompound curved side and with an inwardly-curved upper edge mergingsmoothly into the concave portion of the side edgeof an adjacent tooth.

13. The combination-of a spike compris- 130 and each having at one edgea plurality ot teeth, one plate havin more teethv than the ,other and instaggere relation thereto, and

ing'a body member, locking plates movably mounted on the sides of ythebody member the plates'having means whereby the latter are forcedlaterally as the spike is driven home.

14. The combination of a spike comprising a body member, and lockingplates movably mountedl on the sides of the body mem ber and each havingat one edge a plurality ol. teeth, said plates being'at-their u per endswider than the body 'member'o "the spike, whereby the said wider endscause 15 HERBERT OSMOND CRIPPEN.Y

Witnesses: PHILIP D; ROLLHAUS,

LAURENCE J. GALLAGHER.

